So here’s the deal:
I prefer working with people, cooperatively, to get things done, increase inclusion and accessibility.

I do this rather quietly, incorporating changes as a matter of routine, except for instances when obvious railroading or ignorance arise. At such times, I most certainly do account for the perspectives, assumptions, and constraints taken by co-interactors. At the same time, I realize the majority of individuals I encounter are not interested in a multi-level viewpoint, or the big picture wherein what I am advocating and trying advance also furthers their immediate and long term interest. There is no substitute for the raised level of consciousness of embodying devalued states of existence.

A week after a most injurious betrayal, and a day after Reverend King’s call to action, we are regrouping:

“The task is equally noble, whether conceived as play or work, simple or difficult. Have Fun!”
“Steps forward and back are fine with me–that’s all dancing is.” ~Jamie

“There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever” ~Mahatma Gandhi

“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.” ~Helen Keller

Dalai Lama: “The ultimate source of a happy life is warm-heartednes­s. This means extending to others the kind of concern we have for ourselves. On a simple level we find that if we have a compassionate heart we naturally have more friends. And scientists today are discovering that while anger and hatred eat into our immune system, warm-heartednes­s and compassion are good for our health.”

“The practice of patience guards us against losing our presence of mind. It enables us to remain undisturbed, even when the situation is really difficult. It gives us a certain amount of inner peace, which allows us some self-control, so that we can choose to respond to situations in an appropriate and compassionate manner, rather than being driven by our disturbing emotions.” ~Dalai Lama

“A compassionate attitude helps you communicate more easily with your fellow human beings. As a result, you make more genuine friends and the atmosphere around you is more positive, which gives you greater inner strength. This inner strength helps you spontaneously concern yourself with others, instead of thinking only about yourself.” ~Dalai Lama

Mudita (Pāli and Sanskrit: मुदित) in Buddhism is joy. It is especially sympathetic or vicarious joy, the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being
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“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”
“And it is again my deep conviction that ultimately a genuine leader is not a searcher of consensus, but a molder of consensus.”

“There are some things concerning which we must always be maladjusted if we are to be people of good will. We must never adjust ourselves to racial discrimination and racial segregation. We must never adjust ourselves to religious bigotry. We must never adjust ourselves to economic conditions that take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. We must never adjust ourselves to the madness of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence.”

~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Dalai Lama ~
“It is important that when pursuing our own self-interest we should be “wise selfish” and not “foolish selfish”. Being foolish selfish means pursuing our own interests in a narrow, shortsighted way. Being wise selfish means taking a broader view and recognizing that our own long-term individual interest lies in the welfare of everyone. Being wise selfish means being compassionate.”

“In the face of all the challenges we face today, is my optimism about the future of humanity idealistic? Perhaps it is. Is it unrealistic? Certainly not. To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up.”
“The nature of the mind is such that if certain mental qualities are developed on a sound basis, they not only remain, but they also increase. In fact, once properly developed, the mind’s good qualities eventually increase indefinitely. Therefore spiritual practice brings us long-term happiness and inner strength.”

“If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.” ~Mary Engelbreit

“To know that I am nothing, that is wisdom. To know that I am everything, that is love. And between these two my life moves.” ~Nisargadatta Maharaj

It may help to situate ourselves within the larger historical disability rights movement. I came to consciousness as a deaf undergraduate, with mobility impairments to boot. I realize the identity work is very hard on many folks, but getting beyond our MISperceptions and preconceptions about what it means to be deaf or disabled, or to have a chronic genetic disorder, does open opportunities for us. We CAN control our minds. (Btw, MOST people change their life trajectory/major/career. The change isn’t a failure–we just need to flow with opportunities as they open.) Maintain a receptive orientation.
You are justifiably rooted in the fact that disability and discrimination–in a wide spectrum of forms–persist as social constructions, and are enacted and re-enacted in everyday life. That fact did not stop many folks who pushed for justice for all, and full inclusion. Be the change. We are ingenious in the way we adapt to so very many unpredictable changes we cannot control. Have fun building a broad base of tools and knowledge, and keep going out on limbs to take advantage of opportunities. It’s tons of fun being part of constructive, positive change.

(I gave a couple days for vents, but have to flip it to a pep talk, because we really do need everyone exploring individual potentials, and going out and showing ourselves and others what is possible, sometimes with only the slightest modification (many times leading to quality improvements).)

Pursue your passions and embrace the journey–every relationship is reciprocal and interdependent.

Yeah, we still dream of the day when we choose to work for the government out of service to our nation, and not for health insurance–when a private employer doesn’t balk at hiring someone with a medical condition because of the cost of insuring them. We just need to keep chipping away. Framing challenges in ways that empower us, is one way of tapping much-needed energy and momentum.